Chandimandir Cantonment

Chandimandir Cantonment is a Military Station of the Indian Army, generally referred to as Chandimandir Cantonment, located in Panchkula district, at the foot of the Sivalik Hills adjoining Panchkula city, in the state of Haryana, India. It is the headquarters of the Western Command of Indian Army. The village that gives Chandimandir its name is on its North Eastern edge along the Ambala-Kalka highway. Panchkula city is to its south, the river Ghagghar to its West, Mansa Devi and Saketri to its East.

It is among the few modern Military Stations built in Independent India and not having a starting history dating back to the British Indian Army.

Details

Chandimandir has Sectors A, and B for its officer's family quarters . Sectors C, D, E and F for JCO's and OR's family. A large number of families also stay in Panchkula in hired houses. It has Pine marg as a residential area for senior officers. The Auditorium is called Manekshaw Auditorium,( after Field Marshal Manekshaw) and it has a stadium called Raina stadium after the former chief of the Indian Army. There are also many army units within its area. It also has the Western Command Hospital on the Chandigarh Kalka highway. It has two Kendriya Vidyalaya's, one Army Public School and one Army School in its limits. CTU's Bus no 30-A from Chandigarh go to Chandimandir. This Cantt is practically a part of the Chandigarh Tricity.

There is a small shopping and facilities complex near the Sector's A and D. The market has shops of daily needs and a couple of bank ATMs. Western Command CSD, State Bank of India and State Bank of Patiala, very well stocked Command library and AWWA Shops are co-located in the complex to provide a one stop for requirement of serving and retired personnel.

The Alpha Mess and officer's Institute, the Command Headquarters, the M.E.S Inspection Bungalow, Shivalik Retreat (guest house) and the GOC's residence as well as the senior officers residence ( Pine Marg) are all on a high hill in the western section of the cantt, overlooking the rest of the sectors. There is a deep gorge behind/ to the west of this hill. To the north of this hill is the Golf Course and the helipad.

There is a K.O.I (Khetarpaul Officer's Institute) (earlier S.O.I - Shivalik Officer's Institute) near the main gate to the cantonment (The Shakti Dwar). This is at the cannt's south opening onto the highway, and leading to Panchkula's sector 1 and 6.

Apart from Cantonment area, Chandimandir houses small townships like Bir Ghaggar and Gumthala. Generally, Army personnels after retirement settle here. The literacy level in these suburbs is lower than the surrounding areas. Besides, there is a temple of Chandi Devi in Bir Ghaggar from where Chandimandir as well as Chandigarh, the capital of Punjab and Haryana derive their respective names. The semi-perennial river Ghaggar, tributary of river Ganges also flows through Chandimandir.

History

The cantonment was built in the late 1960s as the Indian Army's Western Army Command Headquarters. However a new corps raised in the 1971 Indo-Pak war (II Corps) was housed here till the mid 1980s. Till then the Western Army Command was in Simla. Which meant due to a shortage of space in Simla not too many Command units were within the Simla area. In the mid 1980s 2 Corps ( Kharga) moved to Ambala and Western Command moved from Simla to Chandimandir.

Most of the tree's and the green cover that cover the foothills in which Chandimandir is built were planted by the army.

Geography

The cantonement is in the foothills of the Shivaliks. The region has a lot of low rolling hills which are covered with dry thorny forests. To its northern edge the forest and hills continue till the valley between the foothills and the main Himalayas that contains Baddi and Nalagarh . The tree's are mostly Kikar ( Acacia) and a lot of zizyphus berry bushes are a part of the undergrowth. 3 of the 5 kul's ( canals) of Panchkula pass through this area.

Education

The Cantt has 3 schools in all,two Kendriya Vidyalayas and one Army School. Nearby Panchkula and Chandigarh offer several other schools. The Cantt has no college but Panchkula, Kalka and Chandigarh have several colleges and there is a direct bus from the Cantt to the Punjab University covering the major colleges in Chandigarh. However, The British School, Hansraj Public School in Panchkula and Delhi Public School at Pinjore are in the vicinity.

Transport

Chandimandir Railway Station

The Cantonment is just off the junction of two highways, Located at the point at which the Chandigarh Old Panchkula highway meets the Zirakpur- Kalka ( part of the Delhi -Simla highway)is Old Panchkula. Chandimandir is in the North west of this Quadrant. The Chandimandir Old Panchkula road forms its southern boundary. The Zirakpur Kalka highway is close to its western boundary, the river Ghagghar in parts is its western boundary. Chandigarh is some 15 kilometers away, though the Manimajra part of Chandigarh is only some 4 kilometers.

Mansa Devi is just east of the Cantt, though the road route is long due to a gorge in between.The Urban estate Panchkula's Sectors 1, 6 and parts of 7 are just south of the cantonment's southern boundary. Pinjore is just 8 kilometers to the north and Kalka 15 kilometers. There is a railway station at Chandimandir but not too many trains stop there. Chandigarh railway station as well as Chandigarh airports are the usual air and rail transport hubs for this cantt.

Places of interest

• Pinjore Gardens
• Kasauli
• Mansa Devi temple
• Nada Sahib gurudwara
• Chandigarh
• Morni Hills
• Chattbir Zoo
• Nahan